Posted By: cocktail-party
If we're referring to a guy who's using a shared device and common browsers, then yes, he's being careless about cross pollination. But for the guy who has dedicated hobby devices and accounts, then I don't see the "red alarm."
Well, there you go. Who uses dedicated devices these days? That's HobbySafety Level 2 (HSL 2) protection. Even that doesn't always worrk. There's always ISP logging and why did your Comcast or Verizon connection link MAC address X to Disney.com but the same router connected MAC address Y to WhoresRUs.com 15 minutes later? Not so separate anymore.
Until fairly recently, I used to keep things separate but I can't do everything I have to do like that anymore. Real email, hobby email; real shopping, hobby shopping
real forums, hobby forums. What am I supposed to these days, carry TWO smart phones, TWO tablets, TWO laptops? My old hobby dedicated hardware couldn't keep up with the technology so it's retired. I will bet that the VAST majority of us no longer (if ever) used completely separate hardware. (There's a poll question for you to post!)
Use computer A - FF for email-1. Use Computer B - Chrome to buy a book on Amazon. Use Computer A - Safari for a DIFFERENT email account email-2 and I've suddenly got side bar ads telling me that since I liked a book on Amazon, I might like these 50 other books. It is an insidious, evil web that they weave.
TER is relatively clean, as far as I know. I doesn't have tentacles to spread into the soft tissue of my regular life. Cookies and histories can be deleted ... but maybe not even 100%? I block Flash (Providers: STOP USING FLASH!!! DANGER!!!), I block scripts, I do as much as I can to keep the TER and related activities as stripped down and hygienic as possible.
Social Media, OTOH, seeks to insert itself and infect every aspect of your life whether you want it to or not.
I want to surf in jeans and T-shirt, not in HSL 4 gear